Ebola: Mixed feelings as schools set to reopen

How do we even attempt to explain Ebola to our toddlers at crèche who cannot verbalize their day at “school”? How can children of between four to ten years identify the symptoms of Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, and keep away from it? How many times do we have to remind our children not to put their hands in their mouths and cover their mouths when they yawn, cough or sneeze? How do we tell them not to play with their friends they are used to or not to show concern if one of them gets hurt and is bleeding? How can we really be sure that our three to 16 year olds would be safe from Ebola in a place where we cannot control who they come in contact with; a place where they share water bottle with friends, toilets, eat and play with others?

These were the many questions asked as mixed feelings and emotions ran through the minds the parents who sat impatiently at the parent-teachers conference meeting held by Learning Field Nursery and Primary School, one of the biggest Montessori schools around Amuwo Odofin Local Government area in Lagos state, earlier in the week. As school resumption draws closer, parent’s anxiety mount higher. Schools in Lagos were supposed to resume 22 September after a mutual agreement with federal government that the worst of the EVD cases are over.

Even so as also believed, most privately owned schools are believed to mounted pressure on government asking that schools reopens because their funds are beginning to run dry from pain salaries of teachers who are not working while school fees – their main source of revenue is not being collected.

But parent concern and fear have since been palpable over possibility of their wards contracting the deadly ailment. EVD is viral infection contracted through transmission of Ebola virus from fluids emanating from an infected patient in the terminal stages of infection. It is deadly. Mortality rate from infection is pegged at about 95 percent. The infection came into the country after Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian American, dodged quarantine in his country and flew into Nigeria only to fall ill in Lagos. From him, the infection killed Dr Adadevoh, the first physician who tried to restrain from spreading the disease. Five others got killed by EVD before the state and federal government firmly got a handle on the pestilence. But the worries of parents are not assuaged by assurances from government.

“If an Ebola patient who was believes to be educated but chose to put other people at risk, what do you then expect from our children? Worst of all, if a victim’s family and friends could not tell from his demeanor that he was sick, then how will our kids tell their friends are sick.

The task of educating our children about Ebola seemed impossible and we just need prayers as a nation to fight this deadly disease” says Mrs. Ella Onorode, mother of four, one of the mothers present at the teacherparents meeting at Amowo Odofin. It could be recall that the Federal Government had called on stakeholders in the education sector to put measures in place to create an Ebola-free school environment for children. Each state ministry of education is expected to train, at least two officials from every school on how to handle any suspected case of Ebola as well as embark on immediate sensitisation of all teaching and nonteaching staff on preventive measures.

The Education Minister, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau has also instructed all primary and secondary schools, both public and private, to be provided with a minimum of two blood pressure measuring equipment by the states’ ministries of education. In compliance with the Minister’s instructions, the Lagos State Government has directed the Lagos State Water Corporation to supply pipe- borne water to no fewer than 600 public schools, and this would be ready before the October 8th resumption date. In Ebonyi, Ebonyi Commissioner for Education, Mr Ndubuisi Chibueze-Agbo, said that no fewer than 5,000 teachers have been trained on early detection and management of EVD.

Chibueze-Agbo told newsmen that the training was part of the measures to enhance teachers’ capacity to handle any suspected case of Ebola in their schools. “The training coordinated by the Ministry of Education took place across the three senatorial districts- Ebonyi North, South and Central- and two teachers were selected from each school. “The training was to equip them with relevant knowledge on how to detect suspected Ebola case and what to do when such happens.

“We trained no fewer than 5,000 teachers drawn from both public and private primary and secondary schools in the state,’’ Chibueze-Agbo said. He said that the state government was determined to sustain the fight against the infectious disease from entering the state and to complement Federal Government’s efforts. “Steps have been taken to ensure that functional water system is installed in all our schools, while private schools that have none will be made to provide for their schools. “Sanitisers and other necessary personal protective kits to guarantee protection of our teachers will be provided.

“One of the most effective ways to prevent this disease is through maintenance of proper personal and environmental hygiene,’’ Chibueze-Agbo said. Across the country, however, it has been mixed feelings. In Kwara State, for instance, there is confusion as to whether there would be any resumption in school at all after the state teachers union indicated that teachers should not resume unless adequate preventive measures are taken to protect children and teachers from EVD. This development was against the directive of the state government that both public and private schools in the state resume Monday 22 September.

State Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Saka Onimago, had asked all schools to provide basic hygiene materials including washing bowls, soap and towels, just as the government directed two teachers from each school in the state to undergo training on Ebola Prevention, as soon as the Federal Ministries of Health and Education provide necessary facilities.

Hoveever, a statement signed by the NUT chairman, secretary and the publicity secretary in the state, Comrades Musa Abubakar, Ola Idris, and W. A. Jogbojogbo, respectively and made available to journalists in Ilorin said the union had noted the inadequate measures taken by the government so far in schools and was of the opinion that schools could not resume. The union, which called on all stakeholders in the education sector to be proactive in tackling the Ebola scourge, appealed to government at all levels to use qualified health personnel to train teachers to forestall outbreak of EVD.

The union also said that hand sanitizers and infra-red thermometers should be provided in schools, adding that there was need for proactive measures in schools to safeguard health of teachers and pupils/students. According to the statement,”Stakeholders should focus more on preventive measures so that there would be no epidemic in our state.

Therefore, teachers shall not resume until all these provisions are made. As at the beginning of this week, there were still confusion in Kwara state as regards the authentic resumption date for schools in Kwara state after the union of teachers countermanded government approved resumption date. But for some other schools in Lagos, children across the nations awaits with nostalgia, sound of the school bell, the happy screams and joyous jump to hug or hold hands with friends that was last seen two months ago.

The teachers are not left out from the ‘school resumption happiness bug’. A smile is permanently fixed on their face for every kid that was present in school on the first day and often, a pleasant ‘welcome back to school’ hugs is served to a child; all describe the first day of school resumption.

While government appears to be putting in place measures to ensure an Ebola free school and nation, the question that readily comes to mind is how well have parents on their own prepared their child for Ebola when school resumes? “They say charity begins at home and that is what I have been doing with my three children since the holiday started.

I don’t like to spend money on sanitizer, so I taught my 10 years old son, eight and four year’s old daughters to wash their hands regularly. I don’t have money to send my children to the big privates’ schools in my area where they have washing sink and taps everywhere. Having that in mind I make sure my children wash their hand up to eight times a day.

At first it was hard for them to constantly wash their hands, but I always remind them, telling them that the reason they need to wash their hand often is because of germs and Ebola, a deadly disease. I intend to give them two water bottles when school resume, so they can wash their hands with one and drink the other” says Mrs.Aduni Bankole, a trader. From the concern from parents, Saturday Mirror gathered that no parent wants to deal with the anxiety of their child coming home from school with a fever. Most parents are usually busy with their daily jobs and tend to leave their children in the care of a guardians or house help. And because of this, they rarely find time to educate their child about Ebola or monitor who they play with during and after school. This is the case with Mrs. Ugochi Chimmeze a banker and mother of two.

“I and my husband are usually busy with our jobs, but we try to balance work and home very well. I am really worried about this issue of Ebola, despite the fact that the government have promise to train teachers on preventives measure and care, as well as send two blood pressure measuring equipment to each schools in the state. In a school with 3,000 children and a classroom of about 20-30 pupils, how many water and blood pressure measure do you think will be enough? Do the schools even have the manpower to station two or more teachers at the gate, who will be checking blood pressure every morning? As a busy mom, I have opted to educating my two kids to stay away from any sick child in school.

And I provided my children with four surgical hand gloves each, with instruction to wear one in the morning, afternoon, evening and night time. I also instruct my house help to do the same and that is the only way I believe they can stay protected against the virus” Ebola’s fingerprints, especially on education, can be seen on the Federal Government’s efforts to extend the holidays of primary and secondary school students to October 8 to protect them from contracting the virus.

Government’s decision was, however, met with displeasure especially from private school proprietors. Saturday Mirror spoke to proprietor of Divine Mercy Nursery and Primary School, Agboroko Iba new site Lagos Mr. Amos Ogunlade, on measure put in place by the school to ensure children safety from the Ebola virus. “I don’t believe Ebola is still much around and most schools are anxious to resume because we need money. Notwithstanding I won’t discard the need to be cautious about Ebola.

As a father of five children, I know what it takes to worry about the health of one’s child. Lagos state asked us to send two of our teachers for training and we have done that. Also we have bought hand sanitizer for every classroom for children to use at all times. We have also informed our teachers to talk about Ebola in the simplest way possible so that these children can understand it.

Although we haven’t gotten any high blood pressure equipment from the state government, we are doing our best to fight this deadly disease,” Ogunlade said. Most parents who spoke to Saturday Mirror expressed fear that their children between the ages of three to 12 fail to understand the need to stay hygienic and listen to teachings about Ebola.

“When my five year old son puts on the surgical gloves, he sometimes wants to remove and chew it, so I have stick to hand sanitizer as a measure to keep his hands clean” says Mr. Lucky Daniels. Odiri Igho a primary two teacher from Learning Field Nursery and Primary school has this to say on safety measure for children against the Ebola virus “my school is ready for resumption and we have put in place learning posters about Ebola.

We have the blood pressure monitoring equipment that will be handled by the school security team at the entrance of the school gate. We have washing hand stations at strategic places all over the school and we educate our pupils to constantly wash their hands. We have also had meeting with the parents to teach them ways they can teach and answers questions about Ebola from their wards and children”.

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